Raja Badr-el-din moved from Jordan to pursue physics at Stanford. But when he started making skateboards and later surfboards, he found an unlikely passion, different from the Stanford “techie” stereotype.

The local threat of West Nile Virus is high. As dwindling water supplies and rising temperatures bring tropical disease a lot closer to home, local agencies prep for potentially the worst mosquito season ever.

Benito Santiago, 63, is one of an increasing number of seniors facing rising rents and eviction under the Ellis Act — a state law that enables speculators to buy property hoping to flip it into an easy profit.

A couple years after Jose Cabrera was released from prison and got help from the David Lewis Reentry Center, he returned to work for the center as a case manager — now helping others get another chance at life.

The David Lewis Reentry Center helps formerly incarcerated persons with services to aid their reintegration into society. But despite its apparent success, the program has continually struggled to find funding.